


The Masks We Wear

by kelex



Series: The Masterlist of AU Series [3]
Category: Adam (2009), Charlie Countryman (2013)
Genre: Adam is a webcam boy, M/M, Nigel is a very interested customer, Spacedogs, Webcam AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-30
Updated: 2015-12-30
Packaged: 2018-05-10 07:40:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5577058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kelex/pseuds/kelex
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nigel is helping Darko and his wife test out a new webcam server, where he finds Spaceman Adam performing.  As he gets to know the young man, Nigel can't help but fall in love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Masks We Wear

**Author's Note:**

> Nigel's last name is Lupei in my world. Details of the Darko Family come from the Masterlist of AUs, Darko AU.

Nigel wasn't sure what to expect when he logged into this site. But Marina had basically ordered him to, "Just to check the connection, Nige!"

But a barely-legal piece of jailbait performing fellatio on a purple dildo was NOT IT.

He almost inhaled his tongue.

A little pop-up window appeared in the corner of the screen.

"Want to talk to our stars? Enter a valid credit card number on the next screen. "

Nigel was already reaching for his wallet.

He had to see the kid's face. 

On the next screen, it took him three tries to get the number right, but when it finally went through, the chat window cleared and the cursor blinked cheekily at him.

He didn't know what to say.

**Hello? Is anyone out there?**

Nigel startled; he wasn't expecting a conversation. **I'm here, just watching.**

Adam was visibly surprised by the answer; he was mostly expected to perform in a vacuum, and he liked it that way. But nobody had sent him a message in hours; he didn't even know if he had an audience. **I think you're an audience of one. What do you want to see?**

Nigel was staring at the screen. Spaceman Adam was the name of the feed, so apparently his name was Adam.

And he was gorgeous. Dark hair, sweet eyes that promised innocence, and a mouth… Nigel was typing. **I wanted to see your face. Now? Fucked if I know.**

Nigel was entranced by the blush that spread from Adam's chest to all points on his body. It might have been the first time he'd seen a webcam boy blush. **Don't they tell you that you're gorgeous?** Nigel asked, curious. Because he sure as fuck thought so.

**I usually get fuckable, or stuff like that.** The blush was intensifying. **I'm not sure that anyone ever said gorgeous.** In fact, he knew it.

**Then they're horny morons.** Nigel sent the message, then squinted. **What the fuck do you have on?**

Adam gave the camera a huge grin, then got on his knees to show off his booty shorts. They had glow in the dark stars all over. **They're my space pants!** Leaning over the camera, he hit the lights.

Everything glowed.

Nigel sat back in his chair, dumbfounded. He had never seen a grown man wear anything like that in his life. **Okay. I know what I want. Turn the lights back on and take those fucking things off.**

Adam saw the message and his grin faltered just a bit as the lights came back on. His mystery customer sounded angry, and he didn't want anyone angry. So he quickly squirmed out of the underwear and sat there, naked and awkward.

**Hey, are you all right?** Nigel could see the difference from before, and he had no idea where he'd gone wrong. **Adam?**

**What's your name?** Adam couldn't stand not knowing anymore. 

**Nigel.** He had to backspace over his last name, given out of habit. **How do I get you smiling again?**

Adam bit his lip. **Don't make fun of me and my space pants.**

**I'm sorry.** Two of the hardest words to part with, but it was worth it to keep the kid smiling. **You can put them back on.** After you got past the hideous, they were kinda cute.

Adam picked up the shorts, but didn't put them back on. **Nigel, do you have a camera?**

**No, thank fuck. My computer is ancient.** Not a bad excuse. **Why?**

**I thought you might be nice to see.**

**Trust me, kid. You're not missing anything.** Nigel couldn't imagine that this sweet kid would find anything good in his face. **I like looking at you better anyway.**

Adam's blush was not long in recurring. **I think you're just being nice.** A blip on Adam's screen let him know that they were no longer alone, so he quickly privated his chat with Nigel. **Got another customer. Wait until he's gone?**

Nigel was going to say goodbye until he caught Adam's bitten lip. **Yeah. I'll stay.**

On the public–well, semi-private, actually–side of the screen, a person by the identifier **FastEddie** started typing. **What's your deal, twinkie?**

Adam typed back. **Live show; anything you want.**

**How about you suck some dick for Daddy?**

Nigel was staring at the screen. Adam was reaching for the purple dildo again, and he was actually going to perform for this loser. **You're gonna let this fucker talk to you like that?**

Adam flicked his eyes to the screen, then back to the camera. He popped the plastic cock out of his mouth, and blew a kiss to the camera.

**Let's see that in your ass,** demanded the client. 

Oh hell no. Nigel was not about to watch that. He'd never be able to look the kid in the face again, and he typed a quick message privately. **I can't watch this. I'll check back in a few minutes.**

Turning his screen off, Nigel dug out his phone and dialed Marina.

She answered the second ring. "Alo, Nige. What's the word?" 

_What's the word?_ was long-ago established code for _fuck off, I'm busy, call back later._ "Nothing of importance, darling, I'll call you later."

Marina hung up before Nigel, and he stared at the computer, wondering if it were safe to look. Calmly consulting his watch, he decided to make sure by washing the dirty dishes in the sink, a chore not usually undertaken until he couldn't find a clean glass.

Fifteen minutes later, he ambled back over to the laptop and lifted the screen. **_Spaceman Adam is currently on a break_** was flashed on the screen, but the private chat was blinking. Nigel clicked it.

**I'm still here, just taking a dinner break.**

That was a relief, and Nigel didn't even know why. **You okay?**

**I'm fine! Most people don't like watching me eat macaroni and cheese.**

**I'm not most people. That last fucker didn't hurt you, did he?** Because he'd hunt the bastard down and shove a plastic cock up his ass. See how he liked that.

The screen flickered, and Adam's laughter filled the screen. **He can't actually touch me, Nigel. That isn't how this works. I know what I'm doing.** A brief pause, and Adam was biting his lip again. **Thank you for staying. I like talking to you. Most people who are here just… you know.** The blush was back in full force.

**I can imagine,** Nigel typed, very glad that the anger in his head wasn't bleeding into his words. **I know it doesn't work like that, but I can still worry.**

Adam nodded to himself. **You don't have to worry about me, DD and his people watch out for me. He's got a really pretty lady friend, and she makes my macaroni and cheese every night.**

**Does she?** Nigel's keyboard creaked under his grip. That certainly explained why Marina couldn't come to the phone. **She's a nice lady?**

Adam nodded fiercely. **She says I'm her favorite cinnamon roll, and she looks out for me specifically. And she promised to introduce me to her friend, she called him the Wolf. He sounds scary, but she says he's more bear than wolf.**

Fucking matchmaker. She's happily married and so everyone else has to be. **Maybe you're right. Who gets called the Wolf unless they're dangerous?** Well, maybe someone who's last goddamn name MEANS wolf. Like Lupei, for example. 

**Have you heard of anyone named the Wolf?**

Christ. How to scare the kid into not ever meeting him? Tell the truth. **I've heard stories. He's a drug dealer, and a killer. He likes hurting people.**

The sign on Adam's channel changed. ** _Spaceman Adam is currently off for the night._** Then, **A bad man? But Mrs. D said that the Wolf is not so bad. He's godfather to her daughter, and she said he watched SpongeBob SquarePants the Movie with her ten times one weekend when she was sick!**

Nigel typed relentlessly. **Bad people have the ability to do nice things, to love other people. But that doesn't make them nice.**

**I'm telling her that he's a bad man.**

Nigel nodded, even though Adam couldn't see him. **And you can tell her Nigel said so.  
Will you come back tomorrow?**

Nigel had to stop and think about that. Here he was trying to scare Adam away from Marina and her goddamn matchmaking, and here Adam was doing his best to make it happen. **Course I will. I'll be back tomorrow.**

**Goodnight, Nigel.**

**Goodnight, Spaceman Adam.**

Adam's giggling was the last thing Nigel saw before Adam switched the camera off.

—————–

For the next three days, Nigel spent almost all the evening with Adam. Day five, he bought a new computer with a camera, and spent most of the afternoon cursing and on the telephone with Darko trying to get the goddamn thing set up. _What the hell are you doing with a new computer, Nigel?_ was Darko's main question. 

Damned if he had an answer. 

But, by the time he was ready to check in with Adam, the new computer was finally working, and so was the camera. Nigel was filled with trepidation as he went to the website, and there was already a private message waiting for him from Adam. **Hi, Nigel!**

**Hey, Adam. What's going on?**

Adam's face appeared on the screen, and then his entire expression jolted with delight. **Is that you, Nigel? You got a camera!**

**Yeah, it's me.** He ducked his head self-consciously, knowing that what Adam was seeing wasn't all that much. Scarred face, square jaw, tattooed neck, a face that hadn't been shaved in a few days, and sandy hair just this side of graying. 

**You never said you have a tattoo, and it's a naked lady. Why do you have a naked lady on your neck?**

Of all the things to notice. **It's a pin-up girl, she's sexy. I liked her when I was younger, she reminded me of a girlfriend. Her name's Bettie.** As in Page, but he didn't expect the young man to know who she was. **Told you that you weren't missing much.**

**I like your eyes.** Adam was leaning into the screen, and therefore the camera, and all he could see were Adam's eyes and the bridge of his nose. **Your eyes are gorgeous, Nigel. They're interesting.**

**So are yours.** Nigel was more than happy with the view, with Adam staring into his eyes and Nigel staring into Adam's. **At first I thought they were dark, but now I see they're not. Not really.**

He could see a hot blush dance across Adam's nose, and when he sat back in his chair, he was flushed bright red from forehead to chest. **You're different than I thought.**

**Is that a good thing or a bad thing?** Nigel had kind of picked up that Adam's train of thought rolled on a single track at a time, and he had to be careful of sudden track jumps. 

**Good! You're more handsome! You look like a man.**

As opposed to? Nigel nearly asked it, but bit his tongue. **Thank you, I think.**

**You're welcome!** A pause. **Oops, first customer of the night. Don't go anywhere, okay?**

Nigel sighed. **Not going anywhere, Spaceman.**

\-----

After another week of talking to Adam daily--nightly--whatever-ly, Nigel was ready to demand his contact information from Marina and Dmitri. So he called Marina first, and he was all ready with his argument when she blew him completely out of the water before he even had a chance to draw breath. "Marina--"

"Nige! I'm glad you called, look, I have to ask you a big big big favor. We've had some guys trying to break into the studio and stalk our performers, and we can handle it the security. But I'd feel better if we had security in the room with some of the guys, and I don't have enough people. Can you *please* fill in for Adam's bodyguard until we hire someone?"

The breath whooshed out of Nigel as he struggled to keep up with Marina's quick demands. "Rina, what? Again? Slower?" 

"Somebody is stalking some of our performers, and Adam is one of them," she explained slower. "We've got enough security outside, but not inside, and I'm begging you to fill in and sit with Adam while he works until we get some more men vetted and hired."

Nigel pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, sure," he said, before he could second-guess himself. "But he's seen my face, so I'm gonna need a mask." 

"No problem, we've got plenty from the BDSM set," she chirped. "See you Friday morning, brother." 

The dial tone was angrily buzzing in his ears before he realized exactly what he agreed to. "Jesus fucking Christ."

\-----

That evening, Nigel was ready. He'd spent most of the afternoon thinking up his story, and he had everything straight. **Adam?**

**Hi, Nigel!** The camera swung around to show Adam curled up on the chair, one knee pulled up under his chin. **How are you doing tonight?**

**I'm doing all right. Adam, I'm going to be out of town for a while. Maybe a couple of months. I'm going on a business trip, because my partner doesn't want to leave his family.** Which was true, as far as it went. Unless it couldn't be avoided, Dmitri preferred to stay home with Marina and the children. That's why Nigel usually went places, because he was the unattached one.

Also because he was the ruthless asshole who wasn't afraid to use his intimidating mien to work a better deal for himself and Darko.

Adam's face fell as he frowned at the camera. **That long? But you'll take the computer with you, right?**

Nigel shook his head. **Sorry, Spaceman, I can't. I'll be overseas at least some of the time, and I won't have access. But if I can, I'll check in, all right?**

**Okay.** Adam ran a wrist under his nose, and then wiped it on a tissue from the box on the counter. It made Nigel's chest tighten. **Then we'll just play tonight. Tell me what you want to see, and you can have it.**

Nigel shook his head, and nearly had to sit on his hands to keep himself from rubbing his fingers on the screen. **Just talk to me, Adam. You don't have to play for me. Just be yourself and talk to me.**

**I can do that.**

\-----

Adam was getting used to having BG in the background of the room. The leather mask was a weird distraction, but Mr. G was actually really nice. He missed chatting with Nigel, but Nigel had told him that he was going on a business trip and wouldn't be back for a long while. 

BG was short for bodyguard, and Adam felt special cause he was the only one who had one. 

"Hey, Spaceman, time for dinner." Marina Darko, aka Mrs. D, brought a steaming bowl of macaroni and cheese on a tray with a big glass of milk. "I gotta borrow the big guy here, but I'll bring him back."

"Okay! See you later, Mr. G. Bye, Mrs. D!" 

Marina switched her eyes to Nigel, who was staring at the kid digging in like that was gold, and not shitty boxed Kraft. If he hadn't been wearing the mask, he'd have been smiling. "I got the phone. You need me, call." He reached out and ruffled Adam's hair, then followed Marina out. 

Soon as the door was closed, Nigel shoved the mask off his face and groaned in relief. "What's up, Rina?" 

"Dmitri and I have a question for you but he sent me because you wouldn't hit a woman," Marina said sassily. 

"Normally I wouldn't. Depends entirely on the question." He stopped by the cooler in the hallway, bypassed the beer, and got water. Fucking mask made him sweat like a pig. 

No other way than to be blunt. "Would you be willing to fuck Adam on camera?"

Water came out Nigel's nose, his mouth, and he choked on what little he'd managed to swallow. Marina pounded him helpfully between the shoulder blades. "Rina, what the fuck!" 

"Well, you're so damn attached to Adam, we figured that you'd castrate anyone else who came near him," she said practically.

"He's... He's fucking nineteen!" 

"Nige, he's thirty-something. Don't exaggerate. Look, these are the options. You, or somebody else." Marina crossed her arms over her chest.

Nigel coughed again to clear out his windpipe. "DD was right. Him I'd have punched in the fucking teeth," he said, voice rough from the coughing. "Because I'll rip the nuts off the first fucker that lays a cock on that boy." 

"Great! It's settled, we'll tell Adam soon as he's done."

"Uh, no. You _ask_ and if he says no, that's fucking that." Nigel was definitely not budging, and couldn't figure out why Marina was smirking.

Nigel put the goddamn mask back on, and barged back into the room. "Adam--" 

Excited babbling cut him off. "Did he say yes?" 

"He's waiting to hear from you on the matter, sweetie," Marina said diplomatically. 

"But asking him first was my idea! Didn't you tell him?"

Nigel growled deeply in his chest. "No. She, uh, she neglected to mention that in our discussion." Which explained the smirk he wanted to wipe off her face.

Adam looked back at Marina. "You were supposed to tell him!" Then he looked at BG. "Well, me and Mrs. D were talking about it last night, on the way home, because she mentioned that some people had emailed the web people asking about it, and I told her that yeah, I'd be willing to do it if it were with you." He flushed, hard and bright red spreading down his neck and into his chest. "Because you're nice and I like you and I trust you. You wouldn't try to hurt me and I think it'd be okay to have sex with you." 

Nigel growled again as he glared at Marina. "Mrs. D neglected to tell me a whole lot of things, apparently. Adam, are you sure you want to get into that?" 

"No, but people want to see it." 

Nigel turned his back on Adam and pushed up his mask to glare furiously at Marina. "Tell DD no," he hissed deeply, then pulled it back down before he looked at Adam again. "Let's you and me talk about it a little bit more and then we'll see, okay?"

Marina just patted Nigel on the shoulder. "We'll have a fresh carton of condoms delivered every day. Mr. BG here has gone through all his screenings, just like you. And he's clean, except for those filthy cigarettes. But we'll break him of that habit, won't we, Spaceman?"

"Yes we will!" Adam crossed his arms over his chest and glared. "Give them to me right now." He uncrossed his arms long enough to hold one out. "The whole pack."

Nigel was sputtering out a protest when Marina's hands slipped into his back pocket and fished out the half-crumpled pack and tossed it to Adam. "Be good, kids. The live show happens tomorrow."

Adam caught the pack and slam-dunked it into the trashcan, burying it under used cleaning wipes and come-stained tissues. "There."

"I don't get paid enough for this bullshit," he grumbled. But he stayed in the room, instead of going back out to buy another pack from the vending machine down the block. 

Adam just flashed his grumpy friend a big smile, and he switched the camera back on from the Lunch Standby. "Oh, hey! Look, there's a customer! It's Eddie again!"

Nigel ground his teeth behind his mask. "What does the fucker want this time."

Adam read the screen and giggled. "A striptease!"

"You don't even have enough on to bother with," Nigel pointed out. "Besides, that asshole has seen everything you got already."

"Oh, that doesn't matter. Sometimes regulars like to see different things." He jumped off the small bed and rummaged through the tiny closet, off to the side. "Uh, you think suit or just jeans a t-shirt?"

Nigel shrugged. "Don't ask me, I'm not paying for it." 

Adam's flush returned, but he did manage to speak up through it. "Yeah, but you should enjoy it too."

Adam put the black jeans back in the closet, and kept out the suit and tie combo. "I told him to give me a second to get dressed, and my computer's got music on it. I can play some if you want me to." 

Nigel didn't say a word as he watched Adam squirm into the clothes, and when he saw Adam fumbling with the tie, he gave in. "Here, come here, let me do that."

Adam obediently lifted his chin, and let Nigel tie a loose knot around his neck. "Thank you."

"When you're ready to take it off, just pull it out, away from you, and it'll slide right over your head." Nigel couldn't believe he was doing this. "Go, your audience is waiting."

Adam clicked on one of the icons on the computer screen, and some god-awful American rock-and-roll song started playing. 

Nigel knew from experience that the other end of the screen couldn't hear--the cams only sent pictures, not sounds, but it was enough to put his teeth on edge. He really, really didn't like Adam exploiting himself like this--or that Dmitri and Marina were letting it happen. 

It made him ten kinds of hypocrite, because he'd cheerfully visited porn sites multiple times in the past, but none of them had been ones with Adam working on them. 

_Everybody on those sites is somebody's Adam,_ his brain reminded him, but he shut his brain off because he didn't want to think about that.

Especially not when Adam was bumping and grinding, literally. While Nigel had been lost in his head, the tie had come off first, and in a move that shocked Nigel shitless, Adam had strung it between his legs and was thrusting against it. 

Then it hit the floor, which Nigel was very happy to see, and the blue blazer came off next. Slowly, it hit the floor, and Nigel quickly bent to retrieve it so Adam didn't trip. 

With a swift kick, Adam sent the rolling chair sailing back against the wall, giving him a little more room to swing his hips towards the camera.

The white shirt came off next, and it went sailing off-camera--right into Nigel's lap. He'd backed himself onto the bed, so as to stay inconspicuous and out of the way. The shirt landed square in his lap, which as it turned out, he was very grateful for. 

Adam was spinning in place, snapping the leather belt first towards the camera, then towards Nigel after he'd pulled it out of the belt loops, and draped it over his shoulders. It lay there like a snake, and Nigel was entranced as Adam used the flat tongue to snap his own chest once or twice to pop his nipples into hardness. 

Not that that was the only hardness in the room by any means. 

Adam hadn't worried about shoes or socks, so a quick hip shimmy was all it had taken to get rid of the matching slacks, and Nigel watched them slither down to pool around Adam's ankles. He stepped out of them daintily almost, giving them a kick that sent them sailing over to Nigel on the bed.

The glow-in-the-dark space pants were the last thing he had on, and Adam hooked his thumbs in the waistband. A twitch to the left, and the right side slipped down to reveal half a cheek. A twitch to the right, and the left side slipped down. Another twitch to the left, and everything was visible on the right side, and he gave the camera a full view of the underwear sliding completely off his ass. 

Then he turned around, letting the booty shorts slide off his cock to reveal his erect cock, which he stroked twice and then draped his naked body over the chair, everything on full display. 

Nigel was about ready to scream, clutch his metaphorical pearls, and wrap Adam up in a sheet, and then a blanket, and maybe a parka with mukluks and then galoshes and a slicker over top.

The computer pinged, and Adam rolled up close to see it, and then blushed bright red. His fingers flew over the keyboard, and then he pushed back away from the screen like he was staring at a poisonous snake. "Uh, BG?"

"Yeah?" He had to bite off calling him baby. "What's wrong?" He shoved the clothes he was holding further into his lap to hide his hard-on, and leaned forward to squint at the screen. 

**Why don't you ask your silent partner back there for a blow job.**

**He doesn't do that kind of thing, he's just here to make sure I stay safe.**

**Why don't you ask him and find out?**

Oh. Oh, **there** was the rage that made people afraid of Nigel Lupei. 

Apparently Adam was feeling it, because he was shrinking away from Nigel too, scooting over into the corner and making himself small and quiet. 

"Let me take care of this, that's what they pay me for." Nigel dropped the clothes onto the bed and stalked over to the keyboard. Getting down onto his knees, he started typing. HIs fingers were viciously punching the keys. 

**Listen. He said no, and that means no. Get the fuck off the server or I'm going to ban you. You want that shit, you go and find someone else. Adam's not here to perform for your amusement. He's here to entertain you and that's fucking that. If you come back again, I'm booting your ass as soon as I see you.**

And then he did just that, using Adam's administrator privileges to kick **FastEddie** out of the room entirely.

Taking a few deep breaths, Nigel turned back to Adam, who was still sitting in the chair. His knees were pulled up to his chest, and his arms were around his knees. "Adam? He's gone, I kicked him out and he won't come back." 

Adam had his chin tucked down, but lifted it enough to talk to Nigel from behind the chair. "Do you not like me?" 

Nigel blinked, and worked a hand under his mask to drag a hand over his face. "What do you mean, do I not like you? Of course I like you." He stayed on his knees at the computer screen, and put up the **_We're Having Technical Difficulties, Please Stand By_** message. "Okay, what's wrong?" He said it calmly, curiously, and proud of himself for tamping the anger down.

"He just wanted to see you suck my cock. But you got so angry at him for even suggesting it, and I thought, you really must not like me if the thought of doing that got you so mad." He tightened his grip on his knees and hugged himself tighter. "So do you not like me, or what?"

Oh Jesus Christ. "Adam, I like you just fine. I like you a lot. Like really a lot." He almost did something really fucking crude, like unzip his pants and let his hard cock speak for itself, but he reined the impulse in. "But you're not a damn dog that performs on cue, and neither am I." 

"But... you don't even let me see your face. At least Nigel let me see his face when we talked." 

Yes, and that's exactly why he couldn't. "I know. But it's the rules." His rule, actually. "If you think I don't find you attractive, fuck, you haven't been paying attention. I like you. And believe me, when the time comes, I'm not going to have any problems showing you just how much I like being with you, taking care of you, and making every bastard watching envious of you." He moved closer to Adam, and touched his hair, all he'd let himself do right now. "I'm sorry if I scared you when I got angry at Eddie. I didn't mean to." 

He was trying very hard not to stare at Adam's cock, which was still hard and weeping for attention.

Adam's lower lip was caught between his teeth as he thought, and Nigel had the irrational urge to kiss him, suck that lip out of his teeth and bite it himself. But he shook his head to clear it of the image, and let his hand rest on Adam's knee. "Hey. Let me help you out while nobody's watching. Just you and me, okay?" 

"Hm? Okay." Adam carefully unfolded himself, and Nigel sat on the floor. He pulled Adam into his lap, and snuggled him in close, Adam's back to his chest. One of his arms went around Adam's chest, and the other rested on his thigh. "This is nice." 

"Yes, it is." Nigel had closed his eyes, and was breathing in the scent of Adam's shampoo, his sweat, and the scent of sex that wafted all over him. "It's very nice." The hand on Adam's thigh moved, and gently wrapped around his erection. "Is this okay?"

"Uh huh, yes, very." Adam was smiling, and even though his back was to Nigel, Nigel could hear the smile in his voice and it made him very happy. 

"If it's not, you can tell me to stop, and I will as soon as you say." He started stroking, slowly and gently, slicking his rough hand with the precome that dribbled from the head of Adam's cock. "You're so hard, Adam. So big. You feel good in my hands." 

_Idiot, you don't sweet talk him like he's a five year old._

But Adam's face lit up all the same, moaning softly as his head pressed back against Nigel's shoulder. "Your hand feels good, too, strong and rough and your arm's prickly." 

Behind the mask, Nigel was smiling, and though he wanted to press small, feathery kisses over Adam's neck and shoulder, the mask prevented it. "Sorry about that. I'm just a big hairy guy." 

"I don't mind. I like guys with hair. I got a little hair, but it's mostly under my arms and on my legs." 

Nigel rubbed a thumb over Adam's nipple. "You're perfect just the way you are, Adam. Don't ever want anything more." He quickened his strokes on Adam's cock just a little, a little rougher rhythm.

Adam's breath caught in his throat, a deep hitch that came from swallowing something back. Nigel rubbed the leather mask against Adam's back, his tongue licking along Adam's spine. "Hey, Adam, it's okay. I want you to come, for me, in my lap like this. I want to see your face, I want to see you in pieces and I will put you back together again." 

Adam trembled in Nigel's arms, and laid his head back again. "oh--okay, Nigel, please I want you to help me." 

Nigel's grip tightened on Adam's cock, and his own breath caught. Adam's cock jerked when Nigel's grip tightened, and when he stroked again, he came and came hard. Thick white streams fell over Nigel's hands and Adam's thighs, but he kept stroking until Adam was drained.

"I'm sorry, BG." Adam was flushed and panting, though whether it was from the exertion or embarassment wasn't obvious. 

"Who's Nigel?" Nigel asked calmly, keeping Adam still so he could cool down and breathe calmly again. Cleanup could happen in a minute.

"He-He's this guy I met here. He talked to me, every day for like, a week. And then he went out and bought a special webcam so that I could see him. He's..." The sweet little skipping stammer meant the flush was embarassment. "He's really pretty. He's older than me, but I don't care. I like him. He's nice. He told me about the Wolf, because Mrs. D wanted to hook me up with the Wolf, and Nigel told me how he was a bad guy."

Nigel closed his eyes. "So you like this Nigel guy, huh?" The smile was hidden beneath the mask, and he kept his voice calm and steady. 

"Yeah. He's pretty, he's nice, and he likes me. He's like you, he wants to protect me from people who can't even touch me." 

"I think you just bring that out in people, Spaceman." Nigel set Adam up on his feet. "Let's get cleaned up and get that off the screen before someone barges in on us." 

Adam giggled. "Mrs. D always checks when technical difficulties come up."

Nigel went over to the sink, and washed his hands off, then wetted a handful of paper towels and handed them over to Adam. While Adam was sponging off, Nigel switched the camera back to normal, showing Adam sitting on the chair, and Nigel moving back to the bed to fold up the clothes from the strip-tease earlier. 

That's when the door opened. "Hey, you guys having prob--oh, they're fixed!" Marina was smiling happily. 

"Yeah, we got it taken care of. Couple of cables had come loose, I crawled around down there and figured it out." He gave Adam a wink, through the mask, and Adam just giggled.

"Now what was that about?" Marina teased, seeing the wink and giggle.

"He's got a nice butt," Adam said, still giggling. "I got to see it up close."

"I am not a piece of meat, Spaceman," Nigel chastised.

Marina's eyebrows rose. Since when was he Spaceman and not Adam? Something was going on, and she highly doubted it was so-called _technical difficulties._ "You kids behave and play nice," she warned. "I'll let IT know to come in and check the connections before tomorrow." 

"Thanks, Mrs. D!"

"Yeah, thanks Mrs. D," Nigel echoed, hanging the last of the clothes in the wardrobe and closing the door. "Can we speak outside a second?"

"Sure. You okay, Spaceman?"

"Yeah, nobody's in the lobby after Nigel kicked **FastEddie** out, so I'm good. I'll call if I need you." He'd drawn one leg up in the chair, and he was beaming at BG.

"I won't be gone long." Nigel went out into the hallway with Marina and ripped the mask off. Once the door was shut, he leaned against it. "I quit. I thought I could do it, but I can't. I just gave that fucking kid a handjob and he called out Nigel's name. My name, Marina. I can't. I quit."

Marina nodded, and took the mask out of Nigel's hands. "Okay. We'll call in one of the other guys tomorrow morning, and they can take over for you." 

"No fucking, Marina." A soft growl. "They can't touch him."

"Honey." Marina put a sympathetic hand on his arm. "You know yourself that's not how it works. You said you just gave Adam a handjob to get him off. The next guy's not going to hesitate when we throw him in there with that kid and tell him, you get to fuck him whenever it's requested by the audience." 

"Then I'll take him with me." 

_YES!!_ But Marina schooled her features immediately so the inner cheerleader didn't show. "Nigel. Stop and think." She handed him the mask, and he put it back on when she opened the door to Adam's room. "You still okay, Spaceman?"

"Yeah, I'm good, this guy came in and just wants someone to talk dirty to him. I can do that." He beamed at BG. 

"I'm gonna take BG down to the cafeteria and talk to him for awhile, okay?"

Adam frowned. "Everything okay, Mr. G?"

"Yeah, Spaceman, it's fine. Mrs. D. and I just need to have a chat about the technical difficulties." 

The frown didn't disappear, but Adam just nodded. "Call me if you need backup, okay?"

Nigel came in and ruffled Adam's hair again. "I will. Keep your phone handy." He pressed the cheek of his mask against Adam's hair, and then turned back to Mrs. D. "You're buying me a fucking beer," he hissed as he squeezed out past her.

Marina stopped by the hallway cooler, picked up two beers from the fridge, and followed Nigel into the cafeteria. Nigel threw the mask down on the table and took the beers, popping both tops off with his thumbs. "I'm taking him with me."

"And how is that going to work, eh? You're the one who told him all that shit about the Wolf to scare him off, and it worked, because he's scared of Lupei. Except you're Lupei, so how the fuck you going to get around that, genius?" 

Nigel ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't know. But he fucking called my name while I was stroking his cock, and that's obvious he was thinking about me." A soft growl. "I can't stay and fuck him without him knowing who I am, and I'm fucked if I tell him."

Marina picked up the leather mask and looked at it. "So go back in there without this and let him see you. Cause those are your choices, Nige. Either go back in there as Nigel Lupei, or go back in there as the Bodyguard and take what you can get. Because you can't quit. Well, you can quit, but you won't. Because you don't trust anyone else with him." **Fucking idiot, you're in love with him, open your goddamn eyes.** She almost said it. Almost. 

Nigel snatched the mask out of her hands and glared at the fucking thing. Christ, he hated it. But he didn't regret showing Adam his face all those weeks ago, because he'd asked so nicely. That's why he'd had to create this impromptu "business trip" so he could come in and work beside him. Anonymously. 

Marina sighed when Nigel didn't answer. "Oh, _frate._ " Leaning across the table, she pulled their foreheads together. "You have put yourself in a corner, haven't you?" 

"I don't know what I'm going to do, Rina." He sighed softly.

"I do." She let him go, and handed him the mask. "You're going to put this on and go back in there, and when you come in tomorrow morning, you're going to wait and see if anyone asks, and when they do, you're going to take that boy. And you're going to pretend like there's nobody watching, and you're going to love him into next week." 

Nigel sighed, and chugged from his bottle. "Damn right I am."

Just then, Nigel's phone chirped, and he checked it instantly. 

A text from Adam: **u ok?**

Nigel grinned, and showed it to Marina. "My little hero. I think he's going to kick your ass if I say you upset me." 

Then he texted Adam back. **Fine. U?**

**Fine, still with the same guy.**

Nigel put the phone away after that. "I'm gonna get back to him."

"Of course you are." Marina watched as Nigel put the hated mask back on, and disappeared down the hallway. "Fucking stubborn gorilla that you are."

Nigel got back to the room with Nigel, then settled on his knees behind Adam's chair. "So what did I miss, Spaceman?" he asked, propping his chin on Adam's shoulder while he read. 

\---

Nigel was there bright and early the next morning, mostly because he hadn't gone home. He'd showered in Dmitri's private bathroom and changed into clean clothes, because after the conversation with Marina and the rest of the evening with Adam, there had been no hope of him sleeping.

_"So how do you really feel about this Nigel fucker?"_

_Adam had thought long and hard, not answering until about twenty minutes later, when Nigel's brain had gone on to other things. "I think he's nice. I like him a lot, and I'd like to maybe see him outside of all this. But maybe he won't like me since he knows what I do. So I'm happy to just get to talk to him when I see him. I miss him, but he's out on business right now, and he can't always check in."_

_"Bet DD or Mrs. D could hook you up."_

_"No, cause if they did it like that, then it wouldn't be real, and I wouldn't want it if it wasn't real."_

After that, Adam had gone on to other subjects, and Nigel had let it lay there.

_Then it wouldn't be real, and I wouldn't want it if it wasn't real._

\-----

It was a little after lunch when the first request came in. From fucking **FastEddie** , of course, and Nigel really hated that fucker. **I want to see the twink get fucked.**

Adam's fingers flew on the keyboard. **You want a position?**

**I don't give a fuck.** Nigel growled softly at the answer.

Adam got onto his knees, presenting himself to both BG and the camera.

Nigel was sweating under the goddamn mask, but at least he could read the screen. He stroked over the curve of Adam's back, then leaned over him. "On your back," he ordered, too quiet for the camera. 

"Why?" Adam asked, even as he scrambled into position. 

"Because I like looking at you better," he answered without thinking. Mostly because all he could think about was seeing Adam underneath him. Thinking about how much of what he wanted he could actually have.

Adam froze, looking up with wide eyes at his masked bodyguard. "N-" Because he remembered those words. Some of the first words Nigel had ever said to him, and he'd committed them to memory. "Nigel?" 

Nigel ripped the camera off the tripod at Adam's reaction, disconnecting everything he could get his hands on, and yanked the horrible leather mask off. "Yeah."

"Nigel? M-my Nigel?" Adam's eyes were wide in disbelief, his mind churning and trying to take things in. That the over-protective bodyguard and friend was actually Nigel. 

"If you'll still have me, fucking right I am." Nigel got on his knees in front of Adam, putting his hands in Adam's, angling his head to make sure their eyes met. "If you want me." 

"Uh, yes." Adam beamed down at Nigel, loving his face so much more without the mask, seeing it in person. Putting a voice to all those beautiful things. "Would you… say it again? That you like…" 

Nigel moved his hands up to Adam's face, touching his skin for all the times he couldn't before. "Because I like looking at you better." 

Adam touched Nigel's face, too, and Nigel closed his eyes. "I like looking at you, better, too," Adam whispered, and pressed a tiny, questioning kiss on Nigel's lips. 

Nigel straightened, his hands on Adam's face holding him still for a deeper, longer kiss. His tongue stroked Adam's lips, teased it open for a long, thorough taste. 

But then Adam pulled back suddenly, his eyes wide as he realized something, and he flushed red. "But--but--you know, you've seen--but--"

"Don't care." Nigel sat back on his heels and looked at Adam, reaching out to touch his knee. "You've also sat in my lap and I've stroked your cock and you called out my name. That's what I care about. Not anything else." 

"Promise?" The tone of Adam's voice gave Nigel the impression they'd be coming back to this discussion more than once. 

"I promise, Spaceman." 

The door burst open and Nigel jumped to his feet, standing between Adam and the doorway. It was Dmitri and Marina, and Nigel's eye caught a gun quickly being put away. "We saw the feed go down," Dmitri said quickly. "We wanted to make sure everything was okay." Then he realized that Nigel's mask was off, and looked at Marina to double-check what he was seeing. 

Marina was just grinning like an idiot. "Finally, you fucking gorilla." 

"Uh, Adam, how about you take a shower and get dressed?" Dmitri suggested kindly. "I think you're done with us." 

"Forever?" Adam stepped up and hid behind Nigel, just peeking around his bicep. 

"Yep. You can pick up your last paycheck in my office." Dmitri grinned at the tiny little face peering at him. 

"Okay." Adam yanked Nigel backwards, staying hidden behind him until he was safe in the shower, and Nigel came back over to Darko. "There's a fucker on this server, I want his information, I'm going to kill the son of a bitch."

"You're not gonna lay a finger on my husband," Marina said with a smirk. 

The penny dropped, and Nigel growled at Dmitri. "You're fucking FastEddie?"

"Well, _somebody_ had to be the dick so you'd go into over-protection mode." He shrugged. "We flipped, I won." 

Marina interrupted the dick-waving soberly. "You might have a little more explaining to do, Nigel. There's a lot of pictures of us in the office, and if Adam sees them…"

"I'll take care of it," Nigel said confidently. "I've got him now, I'm not letting him go."

The shower cut off, and Nigel shoved them both out into the hallway. "Sorry, we've got to get dressed. We'll meet you in the office as soon as we're done." He closed the door in their faces, and leaned against it. "It's safe, Spaceman. They're gone, you can come out."

"But you're still there!"

He bit his lip so he wouldn't grin. "Darling, I've seen you do a strip tease, I've seen you ride a purple cock, I've seen you buck-naked and bouncing in the chair because you're excited. Surely you don't mind letting me see you after your shower." 

"It's a surprise, Nigel! For us to have the first time, really specially, you can't see! Just give me my clothes and wait outside!" Adam's head barely peeked around the door. 

Nigel closed his eyes as he picked up the stack of clothes, and held them out to Adam. Then he joined Marina and Darko in the hallway. "I've been exiled so I don't see him naked until I get him home. Mine or his, I'm not sure."

"His, please, not that shithole pigsty you live in," Marina suggested. But she linked her arm through Nigel's, and gave his arm a hug. "And if I hear you singing _Creep_ one more goddamn time, I'm taking your balls."

End


End file.
